Lady Rose McLaren

Who was Lady Rose McLaren?

The Lady Rose Mary Primrose McLaren was a British aristocrat, the fourth daughter of the 6th Marquess of Anglesey.

The Paget family, who lived at Plas Newydd and Beaudesert in Staffordshire were a close-knit family particularly noted for the beauty of their daughters. Lady Rose's parents were famous and generous hosts and led an unstuffy life for the times. In her early years Rose's world was one in which her nursery teas were served by white-gloved footmen.

Lady Rose Paget, as she was before her marriage, was the fourth of five daughters — her eldest sister Elizabeth was thought by many to be the most beautiful Englishwoman of her generation — and along with another sister, Caroline, shared the dark good looks of their mother. Her brother was the 7th Marquess of Anglesey. Another of Rose's sisters Mary, was brain-damaged, and Rose made herself responsible for her sister's welfare until her death in 1996.

In her younger days Plas Newydd played host to a lively artistic group; amongst these was Rex Whistler who was in love with Rose's elder sister Caroline. From 1936 to 1937, Whistler painted for her father, for the dining room of the house, an enormous mural.